Garment stretcher



Feb! 16 19310 c- E. GARMENT STRETGHER Fil ed Oct. 2, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet1' v Inventor [Z0wm-.Hmsd& ZZ

By A iiomiey' F 10, 1 31 c. E. RAMsDEL-L 1,191,601

GARMENT STRETCHER Filed Oct. 2. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ill! HIIII 3/ inventor J flannezZtPamaieZZ I q l wwm A iiorney Feb. 10, 1931. c. E.RAMSDELL 1,791,601

GARMENT STRETCHER Filed Oct. 2, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 flare 921942 6@222 A itomey Feb E6, 1931 c. E. RAMSDELL 1,791,601

GARMENT STRETCHER Filed Oct. 2. 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A E l h /d E 5 1 JA? Invenior lw'ence .ZTMSGZQZZ A? Q L q 4 By Z v Attorney Patented Feb.10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE cnasanncn ii. menu, or WICHITAFALLS, 'rnxas, assronon 'ro 'rnr: ALI-WAY muracruamo 00., A conromrronor ram GARMENT STRETCHER This invention relates to garment stretchersandmore particularly to devices of this character which are especiallyadapted to stretch the legs and body. portions of mens trousers and hasfor one of 1ts objects to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth,a garment stretcher of the aforementioned character, which is adapted totreat the trousers to be stretched with hot steam, to render m the samemoist-and yieldable.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a manner ashereinafter set forth,

a garment stretcher of the aforementioned character havin gravityactuated'means'embodied therewit for stretching the trousers to theiroriginal size and shape, as it is well known that after undergoingcertain cleaning processes, the action of the cleaning flu'id on thefabrics, of which the garment is made,

so causes said garment to shrink.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a manner ashereinafter set forth, a garment stretcher of the above mentionedcharacter, having asteam cabinet associated 2a therewith, and furtherhaving means for emitting hot steam to the interior of the cabinet,along its longitudinal length, and further havin means mounted thereonfor raising and ilowering, the gravity actuated stretcher element.

Still further objects of the invention are to provide a garmentstretcher of the aforementioned character, which will be simple inconstruction, strong, durable, eflicient in its use, and which may bemanufactured at low cost.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become a parent froma study of the followin speci cation, taken in con nection with t eaccompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein: V

Figure .1 is a front elevation of the device,

showing the steam; cabinet closed.

-Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof, showing the front door and topof the cabinet swun back and with-the supporting stand therefor brokenaway.

Figure 3 is a rear end elevation, showing the mechanism for controllingthe stretcher element. t

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section, taken on the line 4-4 ofFigure 3.

Figure 5 is a transverse section, taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is'a front end elevation of the steam cabinet.

Figure 7 is a fragmentar detail and side elevation of a portion of hecabinet, and showing a portion of the control mechanism for thestretcher element, the latter. being shown in section.

Figure 8 is a view, taken on the line 8--8 of Figure 4, showing one ofthe guard elements for the stretcher devices. I

Figure 9 is across section of the steam cabinet, showing the front, top,and end door; open, and taken on the line 9-9 of Figure Figure 10 is adetail view, in perspective of the pawls for securing the stretcherelevating rums in adjusted position.

Figure 11 is a detail 'view, in perspective of the steam spraying pipe.f5

Figure 12 is a fra entary view broken away in section and s owing theconnection of the seat engaging weight with the two trains of legengagin weights.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference characters 1designate generally a steam cabinet mounted on a supporting stand 2,said stand being provided with a garment supporting shelf 3, above whichthe steam cab net is mounted. The steam cabinet 1 comprises a bottomwall 4, a back wall 5, a front Wall 6 of considerably less height thanthe back wall 5, an end wall 7 having its front side co-extensive withthe front wall 6 and inclining u wardly to its int of connection withthe ack wall 5, an another end wall 8 of less height than the back wall5. An end door 9 is hlngedly mounted on one end of the back wall 5 andhas its upper end in thehorizontal plane of the upper edge of the wall5, the lower end of said door 9 being of a sha e to conform to theadjacentu per end 7 of t e wall 7 as clearly indicated in t e drawings.To the upper horizontal ed e of the rear wall 5 is hmgedly mounted t elid or 100 proj ectin cover 10, to the forward edge of which is hingedlymounted a strip 11. To the up er edge of the wall 6 is hingedly mounts afront door 12, which is adapted to abut the lower edge of the strip 11,when the cabinet is closed, as clearly in icated in Figure 5.

Upon its rear longitudinal end, the steam cabinet 1 is provided with anextension 13,

rearwardly therefrom and extending rom the upper edge of the wall 8, tothe top of the cabinet, as seen most clearl in Figure 4 of the drawings.The inner we 1 of the extension 13 is rovided with a forwardly extendingprotu erance 14 to the opposite sides of which are secured spaced pairsof elongated forwardly extending arms 16, which are secured to theprotuberance 14, through the medium of the transverse securing elements17. Each pair of arms 16 extends forwardly to a point adjacent the frontend of the steam cabinet and the front end of each of said pairs areconnected to ether. It may be here stated that the pairs 0 arms 16 maybe formed by simply bending an elongated strip of material upon itselfand securin the ends on the opposite sides of the pro tu erance 14, inspaced relation, one pair of arms on each side of said protuberance.Longitudinally spaced pairs of pulleys 18 are ournaled between the pairsof arms 16, through the medium of transverse journal pins 19, mountedtransversely in said arms.

A pin 20 extends transversely through each pair of the arms 15 adjacenttheir forward ends and the purpose thereof will be presently set forth.

The gravity actuated garment stretching devices comprise trains ofhingedly connected elongated weights or links, which are designated bythe reference characters 22,

. 23, 24, and a single weight 25, which are adapted to swin in avertical plane with respect to each ot er through the medium of thehorizontal pivot pin 26, which connects same together. As seen in Figure5 of the drawings, there are two series of the links or weights 22, 23,and 24, which extend in spaced arallei relation with respect to eachother. he weight 25 is considerably larger than the weights 22, 23, and24, and said Wei ht 25 has its connected end pivoted intermediate theadjacent weights 24 of the trains, thus connecting the two trains ofweights together at one end. The lower side of the weight 25 is arcuateto conform to the seat portion of the trousers to be set into which saidweight is positioned. The trains of weights comprised by the elements22, 23, and 24 are adapted to extend longitudinally through the legs ofthe pair of trousers, as clearly seen in Figure 2 of the drawings. Theseweights constitute stretching means or elements for the trousers and aresuspended from the arms 16 through the medium of the strands of rope orcords 27, which are anon said drums.

chored at one end of the cross in 20 in the end of each pair of arms 16.e links or weights 22 24, and 25, are provided, in their upper surfaces,with segmental recesses 28, in which are journaled the pulleys 29. Thestrands 27 extend toward the longitudinal rear of the machine, betweenthe pairs of arms 16, and are looped downwardly between the pairs ofpulleys 18 and pass over the pulleys 29, in the weighted links, as

clearly illustrated in Figure 4. A supporting bracket 30 extendsrearwardly from the end wall 8 of the steam cabinet and mounted thereonthrough the medium of the standards 31 are a pair of winding drums 32,which are mounted on a horizontal shaft 33, which, in turn, is journaledin the upper end of the standards 31. An actuating crank 34 is se-.cured to one end of the shaft 33 for rotating the same and the drumsmounted thereon. The inner opposed sides of the drums 32 have mountedthereon toothed discs 35. A pair of interconnected pawls 36 are hin edlyconnected to the wall 8 of the steam ca inet, through the medium of theprotruding ears 37 and the pivot pins 38 and these pawls are 1 adaptedfor engagement with the toothed discs 35, for maintaining the drums 32in any desired position. A retaining hook 39 is pivotally connected, asat 40, to the steam cabinet extension 13, and is adapted to en? gageunder the connecting bar 36' of the pawls 36, for the purpose ofretaining said pawls in elevated position and out of engagement with thetoothed discs 35. Openings 41 are provided in the Walt 8 of the steamcabinet 1 and are adapted for the passage of the cables or strands 27,the ends of which are connected to the drums 32 and said cables orstrands are adapted to be wound A vertical guide em braces the forwardend of the weight 25 and comprises a substantially U-shaped metallicstrip 42, which is suspended from theinnermost arm of each pair 16,through the medium of the inturned right angularly disposed terminalportion 43, which rests .on top of said arm. A steam conducting pipe 44is connected to the wall 8 of the steam cabinet and communicates with anelongated perforated discharge pipe or nozzle 45, extendinglongitudinally in the casing 1 and supported on its front end by astandard 46.

In use, the invention operates as follows: The crank 34 is actuated torotate the drums 32, for the urpose of winding the cables 27 thereon andthus drawing the linked weight upwardly into engagement with the lower eges of the arms 16. The doors 9 and 12 and the cover or lid 10 of thesteam cabinet 1 are then opened to the position indicated in Figure 9,and the pair of trousers designated by the reference character 47 areslipped over the pairs of arms 16 and the weighted links fabric of whichthe trousers are composed, the gravity weights which are positionedtherein in such manner that the legs of such trousers "of linkscomprised b the elements 22, 23 and 24. The larger weig t 25 ispomtioned in the seat portion of the trousers, as indicated in Fi re 2.

e pawls 36 are then raised out of engagement with the pinions 35, thusreleasing the cables 27 and the link will gravitate until arrested bythe garment 47 positioned in the machine as will be obvious. Hot steamis then discharged into the cabinet 1, through the medium of the pipe 44and the nozzle 45, and when this steam thoroughly moistens the willstretch said trousers to theiroriginal size and shape. The guards 42serve to prevent lateral movement of the weights 25. It will thus beobvious that I have provided a garment stretching device, which requiresvery little skill for its operation, and which occupies a minimum ofspace.

It is believed that the many advantages of a garment stretcherconstructed in accordance with this invention will be readily understoodand although the preferred embodiment of the invention is as illustratedand described, it is to be understood that changes in the details ofconstruction may be had, which will fall within the scope of theinvention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment stretcher of the character described, comprising airs ofspaced supporting arms, pairs of ongitudinally spaced pulleys journaledbetween each pair of sup porting arms, hingedly connected weightelements positioned beneath the supporting arms, pulleys journaled incertain of sai' weight elements beneath the pulleys in the arms, andflexible strands anchored at one end to the pairs of arms and havingtheir intermediate ortions extendin over the pulleys therein and loopedownwardly around the pulleys on the weight elements for suspending saidweight elements on the arms, and means for actuating said flexiblestrands for shifting the weight elements toward or from the arms.

2. A garment stretcher of the character described, comprising a casing,pairs of spaced arms extending longitudinally through the casing, pairsof longitudinally spaced pulleys journaled between the pairs of arms, aseries of hingedly connected garment stretching weights positionedbeneath each pair of arms and adapted to extend into each of the legs ofa pair of trousers, a'single weight pivotally connected to one end ofthe two series of weights and ads ted to be positioned in the seatportion of t e trousers, rotatable pulleys journaled in certain of theweights beneath the pairs of pulleys in the arms, flexible strandsanchored at one end to the pairs of arms and extending downwardlybetween the pairs of pulleys thereon and around the pulleys on the weihts, and means for actuating said strands ror raising and lowering theweights with respect to the arms, said means comprising a pair ofwinding drums having means associatedthere'with for actuating the same,said strands being con nected to said drum.

3. A garment stretcheroi the character described, comprising a cabinethaving hinged closures, pairs of spaced arms projecting lon itudinallyinto said cabinet, longitudina y spaced pairs of pulleys journaledbetween the arms constituting each pair, a train of hingedly connectedstretching weights positioned beneath each pair of arms, sai trains ofweights being adapted for positioning in the garment to be stretched, astretching weight hingedly connected to one end of the trains ofweights, said last named weight being adapted for disposition in theseat portion of the trousers to be stretched, certain of the first namedweights hein pro- M vided with recesses, a pulley journa ed in each ofthe recesses in the weights, flexible strands anchored at one end to thepairs at arms and extending over pulleys thereon, w the portions of thestrands intermediate the pairs of pulleys being looped downwardly andextending under the ulleys on the weights, a pair of winding ruinsrotatably mounted on the cabinet, the free ends of the flexible strandsbeing connected for winding on' the drums, a vertical guide for guidingthe trouser seat weight, said guide suspended from the arms, and meansfor discharging steam into the cabinet in a manner to saturate thetrousers.

4. A arment stretcher of the character describe comprising spacedsupporting arms, series of hingedly connected leg portion stretchingweights suspended from each of said arms and adapted to extend into theleg portions of the garment to be stretched, a weight pivotallyconnected to one end of each of said series of weights and adapted forengagement with the seat portion oi the garment, and means forraising'and lowering the weights on the arms.

In testim whereof l afix my signature,

G a E RENEE E, RAMdDELL.

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